1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automobile bodies and especially to a front structure disposed between the engine compartment and passenger compartment of a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional front structure for separating an engine compartment from a passenger compartment in a vehicle body consists of a cowl having a cowl top panel located on the engine compartment side, and a dash upper panel located on the vehicle cabin side. These panels are connected to form a box which is closed in cross section and supports the vehicle windshield. The upper end of a lower panel is secured to the horizontal base of the dash upper panel to complete the separation of the compartments.
One strut housing is positioned at each side of the engine compartment for supporting and mounting suspension struts. The strut housings are spaced forwardly of a vertical front wall of the cowl top panel. A motor unit of a windshield wiper is mounted on the driver's side of the vertical front wall of the cowl top panel. The portion of the cowl which mounts the motor unit of the windshield wiper is behind the strut housing.
A cowl side panel which closes the side portion of the cowl box has a hole for draining water which has entered the cowl box.
The dash upper panel has a horizontal base provided with an air intake port to introduce air toward a blower unit of an air conditioner.
Recent vehicle design trends call for expanding the vehicle passenger compartment capacity and improving vehicle external appearance. To accommodate these goals, designers try to position the lower end of the windshield as far forward and as low as possible.
It is difficult to move the lower end of the windshield forward using a conventional body front structure because space must be provided between the vertical front wall and the strut housing to accommodate the windshield wiper motor. Also, the motor unit is often mounted rather high on the vertical front wall of the cowl top panel in order to make installation easier and to reduce the space between the vertical front wall and the strut housing. However, this makes the position of the cowl top panel higher, and thus, the lower end of the windshield must be positioned higher, contrary to the desired design.
Furthermore, in the conventional design, the air intake port is located in the lateral side of the horizontal base of the dash upper panel because the blower unit of the air conditioner is mounted in the lateral side of the dash upper panel inside the cabin. This makes the position of the air intake port very close to the drain hole provided in the dash side panel. Accordingly, when, for example, the air intake hole of the cowl top panel is covered by snow, since outside air is drawn through the drain hole of the dash side panel, the water around the drain hole can be drawn into the cabin with the air flow.